Rail.



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PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904. H. B. SUTLIFF. RAIL.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 28, 1904.

[NVENTUR Af/omey UNITED STATES Patented November 8, 1904;.

HENRY B. SUTLIFF, OF RAVENNA, OHIO.

TRAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,401, dated November8, 1904.

Application filed March 28, 1904.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. SUTLIFF, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Ravenna, in the county of Portage and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rails, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railways, and particularly to a classthereunder known as rails.

An object of this invention is .to produce a rail in which thetread-surface or head of the rail can be changed with relation to thebase and web, the said head being reversible in order that each edge ofthe rail may be placed in position to receive the wear incident to itsuse. By this arrangement I prolong the period of durability of therail-head, while eliminating any wear'on the base and web, so that abase and-web may be employed for practically an indefinite period.

A further object of this invention is to obviate the necessity ofremoving the spikes or anchoring means whereby the said base is securedto the cross-tie, thus doing away with the perforation of the saidcross-tie which occurs when the spikes or anchoring means are withdrawnor applied. By this means the period of usefulness of the cross-tie isprolonged, as the base of the rail is not disturbed until such time asthe cross-tie deteriorates to such a degree as to be unsafe.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means forretaining the head of the rail in relation to the web of the rail andthe means thereon for bracing the head; and the invention furthercontemplates the provision of means for breaking the joints of the headand base, so that the joints of the head will lie intermediately of thejoints of the base and web, thus strengthening the structure, obviatingthe use of fish-plates, and otherwise improving on rails now in generaluse.

Finally, an object of the invention is to provide a rail of thecharacter noted which will possess advantages in points of-eflicienoyand durability and proving at the same time comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture and maintain.

IVith the foregoing and other objects in Serial No. 200,483. \No model.)

view the invention consists in the details of construction and in thearrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully setforth and specifically claimed.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, inwhich Figure 1 is a View in elevation, showing several sections ofrails. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is, a verticalsectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the detached head of the rail. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofthe base and its web. Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of aslightly-modified construction. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the base of a rail, and 2 the web thereof,the said web having flanges forming shoulders 3, extending from end toend of the rail, the said flanges being approximately centrally of theheight of the web. The web above the flanges has a series of slots 4 forthe reception of the securing means comprising bolts 5, which runthrough the flanges 6 of the head 7, the said flanges being providedwith apertures 8 for the reception of the said bolts 5. The slots 4: areprovided for the purpose of permitting expansion and contraction of therails. The head 7 has its two sides uniform in order that the base ofthe head with relation to the web may be reversed in order to permiteither side to face inwardly with relation to the track, that each sideof the rail may be utilized. The flanges 6 are formed by channeling thehead on its under side 'to produce a longitudinal slot which receivesthe upper portion of the web above the ribs, the flanges 6 resting ontheshoulders 3 and the top of the web resting against the upper wall of thechannel of the head. From an inspection of Fig. 3 the joint of the weband head will be seen, and it will be observed thatthe interlockingparts so contact as to prevent any undue play or vibration of the head.

It is my purpose to break the joints of the head-sections with relationto the joints of the base-sections in order that the joint 9 of the saidhead may be intermediate of the joints 10 of the base, and it isfurthermore my purpose to have the meeting ends of the head beveled onan angle of approximately forty-five degrees, (45 as shown in Fig. 2, inorder that the wheels of the rolling-stock traveling over the rail maypass over one rail-section and to the other without encountering thejoint at right angles to the direction of travel of the said wheels,thus preventing the battering of the rail ends.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the construction is very similar tothat shown in the other figures of the drawings except that the flangesA are broken to form seats for the depending lugs B, which dependinglugs have apertures for the reception of the bolts C, which pass throughthe said lugs and through the web of the rail for holding the head. inplace. The head D of this construction is similar to the head heretoforedescribed in that it is reversible and the joint E is beveled. In thisconstruction, where the head rests on the flanges and the lugs dependbelow the flanges, an unusually elfective joint is produced which willbe found to possess advantages in many uses.

Having fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rail of the character described, a base and web, flangesprojecting from the-sides of the web forming shoulders, a rail-headhaving a channel to receive the upper part of the of March, 190%.

web, the flanges of said head resting on the shoulders of the web andbolts run through the flanges and web.

2. In a rail of the character described, a base and web, flangesprojectingfrom the sides of the web forming shoulders, a rail-headhaving a channel to receive the upper part of the web, the flanges ofsaid head resting on the shoulders of the web, the abutting ends of thehead having beveled joints, and bolts run through the flanges and web.

3. In a rail of the character described, a base and web, flangesprojecting from the sides of the web forming shoulders, a reversiblehead having its two edges of the same contour and having a channel toreceive the upper part of the web, the flanges of said head resting onthe shoulders of the web, the abutting ends of the head having beveledjoints, and bolts run through the flanges and web.

4. In a rail, a base and web, flanges on the web forming shoulders, thesaid flanges being broken to form spaces between the ends of thesections of the flanges, ahead having lugs depending between the ends ofthe sections of the flanges and bolts for binding the lugs to the web.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 24th day HENRY B. SUTLIFF. Witnesses:

H. M. VVRIGHT, N. G. Fox.

